EHRs: How do you choose?
Last spring, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released the first round of payments for its electronic health record incentive programs. Payments totaling $75 million were distributed to providers who had signed up in the first two weeks of the Medicare incentive program and more than $83 million had been paid to Medicaid providers.
The EHR incentive programs were instituted to encourage providers to adopt electronic records. If you’re considering an EHR – also known as an EMR, or electronic medical record – don’t just buy one because of the incentive money, said Gregg Alexander, DO, a pediatrician in solo practice in Ohio whose office has used electronic records for several years. “Don’t do it for the incentive money,” he said. “Do it – but do it because it’s the right thing to do for you and your practice.”
Talk to anyone who has selected or has assisted in selecting EHRs and they’ll all say the same thing: Thoroughly assess your practice and its needs and do a lot of research.
The EHR you choose will become the center of your business, said J. Scott Patch, MD, who handles EMR workflow implementation at a group practice in Yarmouth, Maine, and is on the steering committee for the EHR regional extension center in his area. “The expectation that you’re going to buy this product and it’s going to be like a Microsoft Word, just load it up and start using it, is unrealistic,” he said.
“I know doctors are busy,” said Gene Ransom III, CEO, Maryland State Medical Society. “(However) this is a really big investment. If you pick the wrong system and it doesn’t work well and you have trouble with it and you can’t see as many patients because of the way your workflow goes, it’s going to affect your revenue. If you pick the wrong system and it doesn’t work well and you can’t make it get the meaningful use, you’re not going to be eligible for the incentives. This is a tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands (of dollars) decision and you really should put the time and energy into it to make sure you do it.
